Just like their human companions, pets need regular medical and preventive care to maintain optimum health. Yearly check-ups and routine vaccinations keep your pet protected against potentially life-threatening diseases. In addition to regular visits with your veterinary care specialist, consistently administering correct doses of some important pet medications is crucial to keeping your best friend healthy. Ask your veterinary care specialist what medications, vitamins, and supplements are ideal for your specific pet. They’ll be able to tell you what supplements can help keep your pet healthy, and might even suggest brands or products they prefer. Shopping for online pet medications is quick and easy, and keeps your pet protected.

For dogs and cats, protection against heartworm is critical. A heartworm infection may present no indications for the first six months, after which subtle symptoms like fatigue and coughing can quickly give way to severe weight loss and congenital heart failure. If left untreated, a heartworm infection can be fatal. Infection is treatable with a series of arsenic-based injections that kill the parasite, coupled with quarantine and restricted activity until the worms have been eliminated. Treating a heartworm infection is a long, expensive, and painful process that can be easily prevented. Protect your dog or cat with regular doses of heartworm medication, available in pill, chewable tablet, or injection form. There are many brand-name variations of these medications, including topical solutions that can also prevent against fleas and ticks.

If your pet is ever outside, or around any people or animals who have been outside, he is susceptible to a flea or tick infestation. In addition to causing discomfort for your pet and inconvenience for you, these pests pose a threat to your pet’s safety. Fleas multiply rapidly, can transfer bacteria to your pet, and can cause anemia in extreme cases. Once fleas are in your home, they can attack other pets and humans, and be very difficult to eradicate. Ticks, while less populous, can be even more dangerous. Once a tick attaches to your pet, it can be difficult to see and even more difficult to remove. Ticks transmit several dangerous diseases, including Lyme disease, which can eventually lead to central nervous system shutdown. As with fleas and heartworm infections, ticks are much more easily prevented than eradicated.

Luckily, protecting your pet from harmful parasites like heartworm, fleas, and ticks is not difficult. Prevention is important, and with the wide variety of medications on the market today, it’s easy to find the formulation that’s right for your pet. The investment is preventive medications for your pet is minor and well worthwhile to avoid costly and painful treatment for your pet later on. Talk to your vet about the best prevention plan for your pet, and shop for online pet medications to keep your best friend healthy and safe.